Lip Balm Container with Product Insert

ABSTRACT

It is an object of the invention to provide a package including a viscous liquid such as a lip balm wherein the package is formed of an inner container and an outer container. The inner container includes the product and is sized for receipt in the outer container. Once disposed within the outer container, the inner container is securely maintained therein. This two-container arrangement, amongst other benefits, provides a means to prevent migration of the product to the outer container as well as permits separate production of the product and outer container.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the benefit of the filing date of U.S.Provisional Application No. 61/222,966 entitled, “Lip Balm ContainerWith Product Insert” and having a filing date of Jul. 3, 2009, theentire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD

This disclosure relates generally to packaging for viscous liquids suchas lip balm, lip gloss, and/or lipstick. More particularly, thedisclosure is directed to a sealed insert for holding a viscous liquidthat may be secured within an outer container.

BACKGROUND

Containers that are used to store and dispense viscous liquids such aslip balms and lip-glosses employ a wide variety of designs. Many suchcontainers have a lid that screws onto threads of a recessed cup, whichholds the viscous liquid. When threaded onto the cup, the lid covers theopening of the cup and maintains the contents therein. When removed, aconsumer may access the product in the container using, for example,their finger or an applicator brush.

Many viscous products tend to run when exposed to increasedtemperatures. In such situations, the product can migrate into theinterface between the recessed cup and the lid as well as onto the innersurface of the lid. This can result in the product spilling upon openingthe container. Further, in instances where the container housesapplicators (e.g., brushes), such applicators may become covered withproduct.

The migration of the viscous product is further facilitated by the wayconsumers tend to carry containers for these types of products. Oftenthe containers are carried in bags/purses and/or pockets. That is, thecontainers are not necessarily maintained in an upright orientation.Accordingly, the product may migrate under the force of gravity.

SUMMARY

It is an object of the invention to provide a package including aviscous liquid such as a lip balm wherein the package is formed of aninner container and an outer container. The inner container includes theproduct and is sized for receipt in the outer container. Once disposedwithin the outer container, the inner container is securely maintainedtherein. This two-container arrangement, amongst other benefits,provides a means to prevent migration of the product to the outercontainer as well as permits the separate production of the product andouter container.

According to one aspect, a package for holding a viscous consumerproduct is provided. The package includes an outer container having abase with a recess therein and a lid that is adapted to engage the base.When engaged, the lid and base collectively define an enclosed area. Aninner container is provided for fixed disposition within the outercontainer. This inner container contains a cup that includes a viscousproduct disposed within a recess of the cup. A cap is adapted to engagethe cup and substantially seal the viscous product within the recess ofthe cup. The outside perimeter of the cup is press fit into the insideperimeter of the recess in the base of the outer container forming afirst interference fit. Similarly, an outside perimeter of the cap pressfit into an inside perimeter of the cup to form a second interferencefit. To permit removal of the cap from the cup without removing the cupfrom the outer container, the frictional resistance force of theinterference fit between the cap and cup is less than the correspondingfrictional resistance force of the interference fit between the cup andthe base member of the outer container. Accordingly, a consumer may pullthe cap away from the cup without removing the cup from the base member.In one arrangement, the cap is formed of a disc member that is sized forpositioning within a periphery of the recess of the cup. In a furtherarrangement, this cap may include a tab to allow a user to grip the capand pull it away from the cup member. In one arrangement, the tab isinterconnected to the cap member via a living hinge arrangement thatallows the tab to move relative to the cap member. This may allow forproviding a longer tab that may be folded over and against the topsurface of the cap.

To provide the interference fit between the various members, typicallythe member that is inserted into the recess of the other member has adiameter or other cross-dimension that is greater than a correspondingdiameter or other cross-dimension of the receiving recess. In the caseof the cup, an outside periphery or perimeter of the cup fits within acorresponding inside perimeter of the recess in the base. Further, thisoutside perimeter of the cup may include one or more detents that allowfor slightly compressing the cup as it is inserted into the slightlysmaller recess within the base.

In one arrangement, the inner container is a substantially cylindricalmember, which may taper slightly from a top edge to a bottom edge tofacilitate placement within the recess. In a further arrangement, theouter container may be substantially spherical when the lid isinterconnected to the base member.

According to another aspect, A method is provided for inserting aviscous product into a container. In the presented method, the interiorcontainer including the viscous product is disposed within a recess ofan outer container. More specifically, the inner periphery of the innercontainer is press fit into an inner perimeter of the recess formed inthe outer container. This compression of the inner container into theouter container forms an interference fit between these members. Onceinserted within the recess of the outer container, a lid of the outercontainer may be interconnected thereto and thereby encapsulate theinner container within the outer container. Further, a cap or lid of theinner container may be pulled away or otherwise removed from the innercontainer. In any arrangement, the force required to remove the cap fromthe inner container is less than the force required to remove the innercontainer from the outer container. Accordingly, the cap may be removedfrom the inner container without disturbing the press fitinterconnection between the outer container and the inner container.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of one embodiment of a lip balm container.

FIG. 2 is a view of the container of FIG. 1 when the container isclosed.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the lid of the container of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a side view of the container of FIG. 1 that incorporates aproduct insert.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the container of FIG. 1 thatincorporates a product insert.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the insert of FIGS. 4 and 5 asdisposed in the lower member of the container of FIG. 1.

FIG. 7 illustrates one embodiment of an engagement between the lid andcup member of the insert of FIGS. 4 and 5.

FIG. 8 illustrates the cup member.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings, which assist inillustrating the various pertinent features of the packaging design.Although the invention will now be described primarily in conjunctionwith a spherical lip balm container, it should be expressly understoodthat aspects of the invention are applicable to other containers. Inthis regard, the following description is presented for purposes ofillustration and description. Furthermore, the description is notintended to limit the invention to the form disclosed herein.Consequently, variations and modifications commensurate with thefollowing teachings, and skill and knowledge of the relevant art, arewithin the scope of the disclosure.

Referring now to the drawings, wherein like reference numerals designatecorresponding structure throughout the views, and referring to FIGS.1-3, a container 10 is provided that is constructed to hold a viscousliquids such as lip balms or lip-glosses or any one of a myriad ofpossible products. As shown, the container 10 is generally sphericalhaving an upper member or lid 12 and a lower member or base 14 that,when connected, form a spherical body. This spherical body issubstantially hollow to provide an enclosed interior area for holding aproduct 20 such as a lip balm or lip-gloss.

As shown, the lower member 14 of the body includes an exterior threadedcollar or rim 18. Likewise, the upper member 12 has an interior threadedrim 16. These threaded rims 16, 18 allow the upper member 12 to screwonto and off of the lower member 14 to open and close the container 10.When the threaded rims are screwed together (see FIG. 2) the container10 is closed and the product 20 is maintained within the interior of thecontainer 10.

In the present embodiment, the upper member 12 of the sphericalcontainer 10 forms a lid and the lower member 14 includes a recess(i.e., recessed interior surface) for holding the product 20. Tofacilitate the use of the product, the upper member/lid 12 furtherincludes a mirror 30 that is disposed within its recessed interiorsurface. See FIG. 3. This allows a consumer to utilize the mirror toapply the product contained within the container 10.

The present inventors have recognized that placement of the product 20directly into the interior of the container 10 presents a number ofchallenges. As noted above, disposition of the product directly into thecontainer can allow the product to migrate. In the case of the containerof FIGS. 1-2, such migration can foul the mirror rending it useless. Inaddition, depositing the product directly into the container 10 cancomplicate manufacturing. That is, the containers may have to be shippedfrom a manufacturer of the container to a balm/gloss manufacturer forfilling. This process may result in the delay of shipping the completedcontainers, which may limit the ability of a seller of the product tomake changes to their packaging and/or provide promotional products(e.g., containers with corporate logos, etc.) on short notice.Accordingly, provided herein is an insert 50 that may be utilized with aviscous product container such as the container of FIGS. 1-3. As shown,insert 50 is sized for disposition within the container 10. See forexample FIGS. 4-6. In this regard, the insert 50 holds the product andmay be inserted in the base of the container. This allows for massproducing the inserts and assembling these inserts with containers(which may be separately produced) on an as-needed basis. Further, theinsert (e.g., inner container) may provide a self-contained containerthat prevents migration of the product into any remaining enclosed areabetween the lid and base of the outer container.

As shown in FIGS. 4-6, the insert 50 is formed of a cup-shaped body orcup 60 and a cap 70, which are disposed within the container 10. In thisregard, the container 10 forms an outer container and the insert 50forms an inner container. Once the cup 60 is filled with product, thecap 70 engages the cup 60 to substantially seal the product therein. Inthe present embodiment, the periphery of the lid 70 is initially in apress fit engagement (e.g., forms and interference fit) within aninterior perimeter of the cap 60. That is, the outer perimeter of thecap fits within an upper rim 62 of the cup 60.

As illustrated in FIG. 7, the interior of the rim 62 of the cup 60 andthe peripheral edge perimeter of the lid 70 are formed to provide aconformal engagement. Specifically, the rim 62 has a ledge 64 thatlimits the disposition of the lid 70 into a recess of the cup 60. Thisledge 64 is located a distance from the top edge 66 of the cup memberthat is approximately the same as the width of a peripheral edge of thelid 70. Further, around the inside of the rim between the ledge 64 andthe top edge 66 is an interference tab 68. This interference tab 68 issized for conformal received within a detent 78 formed around theperipheral edge of the lid 70. Accordingly, when the lid 70 is disposedwithin the cup member, the interference tab 68 rests within the detent78. Typically, the lid and the cup are formed of a pliable polymericmaterial such that each member is able to elastically flex. This allowsfor pushing the peripheral edge of the lid past the interference tab onthe inside surface of the rim 62.

The engagement between the interference tab 68 and the detent 78 makethe lid 70 resistant to removal. That is, a force required to remove thelid 70 must overcome the frictional interference between the outerperimeter of the lid and the inner perimeter of the cup. In order toremove the lid from the cup member, the lid includes a gripping tab 80.As shown, this gripping tab 80 is an elongated member that is flexiblyinterconnected to the lid 70. In this regard, the gripping tab 80 may befolded over onto the top surface of the lid 70 when the insert 50 isdisposed in the outer container 10 and the container is closed. In onearrangement, the tab 80 is integrally formed with the lid 70 andutilizes a living hinge arrangement that permits the tab to flexrelative to the lid. When the container 10 is opened, a user may foldthe gripping tab 80 outward, grasp the tab, and pull the lid 70 from thecup 60. At this time, the product within the cup 60 is exposed and auser may apply the same. The lid may be disposed of after initialremoval. However, the lid 70 may be reused on the inner container toprevent the product from, for example, migrating when temperatures rise.

In the present embodiment, while being generally cylindrical, theoutside of the cup 60 is tapered. See FIG. 6. That is, the diameter of atop peripheral edge 66 of the cup 60 is greater than the diameter of abottom peripheral edge 58 of the cup 60. Such tapering facilitatesinsertion of the cup into the outer container 10. The outside perimeterof the rim of the cup is sized for conformal receipt within the insiderim of the recess in the lower member/base of the outer container 10.Furthermore, the recessed inside surface of the base may include one ormore stops 22 that engage the lower edge/bottom 58 of the cup to limitthe insertion distance of the cup 60 in the outer container.

Generally, the cup engages lower member of the outer container 10 usingan interference fit between its outside rim surface and the insidesurface of the recess in the lower member 14. In the present embodiment,this interference fit is free of other fasteners or adhesives. Toprovide improved resistance to removal, the diameter of the cup isgreater than the diameter of the recess in the base. Accordingly,seating the cup in the base requires applying pressure to the cup toseat it within the base. To facilitate such placement, the outside rimsurface of the cup 60 may include one or more detents 56 formed into itssurface. See FIG. 8. Typically, one or more detents 56 are spaced aroundthe periphery of the rim 62, allowing the rim 62 to compress inward.That is, by applying pressure to the cup member 50 during insertion intothe base 14, these detents 56 allow the rim to compress inward slightlyand thereby provide an improved interference fit between the mating rimsof the cup 60 and the base 14.

Importantly, the interference fit between the cup 60 and the base 14requires a greater removal force than the interference fit between thecap 70 and the cup 60. In this regard, a user can pull the cap 70 off ofthe cup 60 to expose the product without pulling the cup 60 out of thebase 14.

The insert also provides a number of manufacturing benefits for theoverall container. For instance, it will be appreciated that the insertsand the outer containers may be separately manufactured and subsequentlycombined. That is, rather than having to place product directly into theouter container the product may be placed into and sealed within theinserts 50. This may allow for generating a stock of inserts that may beutilized with differently configured and/or decorated containers.Further, this allows for distributing the manufacture of thesecomponents to different manufacturers.

The foregoing description of the packaging design has been presented forpurposes of illustration and description. Furthermore, the descriptionis not intended to limit the invention to the form disclosed herein.Consequently, variations and modifications commensurate with the aboveteachings, and skill and knowledge of the relevant art, are within thescope of the invention. The embodiments described hereinabove arefurther intended to explain best modes known of practicing the inventionand to enable others skilled in the art to utilize the invention in suchor other embodiments and with various modifications required by theparticular application(s) or use(s) of the invention.

1. A package for holding a viscous consumer product, comprising: anouter container including: a base having a recess; a lid adapted tothreadably engage the base, wherein the lid and base collectively definean enclosed area when the lid engages the base; an inner containerincluding: a cup, wherein an outside perimeter of a top edge of the cupis press-fit into an inside perimeter of a top edge of the recess in thebase to form a first interference fit; a viscous product disposed withina recess of the cup; a cap adapted to engage said cup and substantiallyseal said viscous product within the recess of the cup, wherein anoutside perimeter of the cap is press-fit into an inside perimeter ofthe recess in the cup to form a second interference-fit, wherein a cupremoval force required to overcome the first interference fit is greaterthat a cap removal force required to overcome the second interferencefit whereby the cap may be removed from the cup without removing the cupfrom the base member.
 2. The container of claim 1, wherein said capcomprises a disk.
 3. The container of claim 1, further comprising: a tabinterconnected to a top surface of the disk, wherein the tab provides ameans for grasping the cap to pull the cap from the cup.
 4. Thecontainer of claim 3, wherein said tab is connected to said disk via aliving hinge, wherein said tab may move relative to the cap.
 5. Thecontainer of claim 1, wherein the cup member is substantiallycylindrical and tapers from a top edge to a bottom edge, wherein a topdiameter of the cup is greater than a bottom diameter of the cup.
 6. Thecontainer of claim 1, wherein the outside perimeter of the top edge ofthe cup and the inside perimeter of the top edge of the recess in thebase are correspondingly shaped.
 7. The container of claim 1, whereinthe outside perimeter of the top edge of the cup further comprises: atleast one detent, wherein said detent allows a periphery of the cup tocompress.
 8. The container of claim 1, wherein an outsidecross-dimension of the top edge of the cup is greater than acorresponding inside cross-dimension of the recess of the base.
 9. Thecontainer of claim 1, wherein: one of the outside perimeter of the capand the inside perimeter of the cup includes a detent; and the other ofthe outside perimeter of the cap and the inside perimeter of the cupincludes a tab sized for receipt in the detent when the cap is engagedwith the cup.
 10. The container of claim 1, wherein the base and liddefine a spherical outside surface when engaged.
 11. The container ofclaim 1, wherein the lid further comprises: a mirror on an insidesurface.
 12. A package for holding a viscous consumer product,comprising: an outer container including: a base having a recess and anexternally threaded collar; a lid having an internally threaded collarfor engaging the externally threaded s collar of the base, wherein thelid and base collectively define an enclosed area when the lid engagesthe base; an inner container including: a cup disposed within the recessof the base, wherein a top edge of the cup is substantially aligned witha top edge of the recess in the base; a viscous product disposed withina recess of the cup; a cap adapted to engage said cup and substantiallyseal said viscous product within the recess of the cup; wherein anoutside cross-dimension of the top edge of the cup is greater than acorresponding inside cross-dimension of the recess in the base.
 13. Thecontainer of claim 12, wherein the outside perimeter of the cup ispress-fit into the inside perimeter of the recess in the base to form afirst interference fit.
 14. The container of claim 13, wherein anoutside perimeter of the cap is press-fit into an inside perimeter ofthe recess in the cup to form a second interference-fit, wherein a cupremoval force required to overcome the first interference fit is greaterthat a cap removal force required to overcome the second interferencefit whereby the cap may be removed from the cup without removing the cupfrom the base member.
 15. The container of claim 13, wherein the outsideperimeter of the cup further comprises: at least one detent, whereinsaid detent allows the perimeter of the cup to compress.
 16. Thecontainer of claim 12, wherein the base and lid define a sphericaloutside surface when engaged.
 17. The container of claim 12, wherein thelid further comprises: a mirror on an inside surface.
 18. The containerof claim 12, wherein an outside perimeter of the cup and an insideperimeter of the recess in the base are correspondingly shaped.
 19. Amethod for inserting a viscous consumer product into a containercomprising: positioning an inner container including a viscous productwithin a recess of a base member of an outer container; compressing anouter periphery of the inner container into an inner periphery of therecess, wherein an interference fit forms between the inner containerand the outer container; and applying a tensile force to a cap on theinner container to overcome an interference fit between the cup and arecessed member of the inner container, wherein the cap is removablewithout removing the inner container from the outer container.